By MEREDITH WADMAN - NATURE.COM - NEWSBLOG
Added: Thu, 26 Jan 2012 04:15:03 UTC

US President Barack Obama’s 65-minute State of the Union address last night (24 January) touched on themes and issues that were expected, calling for measures to revitalize the economy and urging that the very wealthy pay higher tax rates — a minimum of 30% for those with more than $1 million in income.

But it also included multiple references to subjects near to scientists’ hearts. Here is a sampling of points in the speech that touched on science, medical research, education, energy and the environment. (For greater detail on the policy proposals mentioned in Obama’s speech, see here.) Bear in mind that many of the president’s proposals would need action by a Congress that is seriously divided on partisan lines.

- Obama urged lawmakers not to “gut” US investments in basic research, arguing among other things that “the discoveries taking place in our federally-financed labs and universities could lead to new treatments that kill cancer cells but leave healthy ones untouched” and create lightweight vests that protect police and soldiers from “any bullet.”

- Calling on Congress to “stop expelling responsible young people who want to staff our labs,” the president argued that a path to citizenship should be created for foreign students who come here to study subjects like business, science and engineering. “Send me a law that gives them the chance to earn their citizenship. I will sign it right away.”

- Obama took aim at rising tuition costs in colleges and universities, threatening to withdraw some federal support if the institutions don’t keep their tuition hikes in control. “If you can’t stop tuition from going up, the funding you get from taxpayers will go down,” he said.

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TAGGED: POLITICS, SCIENCE